


kill ‘em with a kiss

by theriveroflight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Enemies With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, Enemy Lovers, Episode Related, Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, F/F, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22887580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: Marinette wants to play? Lila knows the game better than anyone. Marinette will go down. It’s only a matter of when.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Lila Rossi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 112





	kill ‘em with a kiss

**Author's Note:**

> This is a snippet from what could be a much larger fic. Plot bunny hopped into my head in the middle of a discussion about the one and only Lila “pathological liar” Rossi. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love when Lila gets her just desserts in fic! But sometimes there are plot bunnies that drive you crazy if you don’t write them - and this is one for me.
> 
> Special thanks to Nino and Treees from [ the ML fanfic Discord](https://discord.gg/wcQvjyg) for looking over this.

Lila starts with a few small things, first, just to see how exactly they’ll react.

It gets out of hand.

* * *

Her intention isn’t to keep up the charade for this long, but they keep falling for it, and it’s fun to string them along before they get all jaded. Investment is not something Lila expects, after all. She goes with the flow, makes it up as she goes. She has the wits to get her out of most scenarios, and she's got a mean talent for forgery.

(Probably not a good thing to brag about, with her mother being in diplomacy - at least not the second part. Having her wits about her is  _ never  _ a bad thing.)

(And wits is something this class could use a bit more of.)

Sure, not everyone falls under her.

But doctor’s notes are easy to fake. Their handwriting is a mess, and bullshitting a reason that will gain her popularity is even easier.

And, of course, getting close to Adrien. It’s something Marinette seems to value, so she’ll do it.

She doesn’t  _ mean  _ to get wrapped up in the whole Hawk Moth thing, but Ladybug.

She already  _ has  _ an opinion on Ladybug by the time she meets her when she gets akumatized. She thinks Ladybug is uptight and should learn to relax a bit. Hawk Moth is definitely someone to be wary of - but Ladybug has more power than anyone else in Paris.

And power is something to be feared - if you don’t have it.

* * *

She’s at the top, and there are few who stand to topple her.

Chloe is too much of a pariah - being mean to everyone doesn’t help. Nobody will  _ listen  _ to Chloe if she tries anything.

Adrien has been taught to sit down and shut up all his life. He won’t stand up to her - not in the public potentially damaging way that could rip him apart from his friends.

The only person that could topple her reign is Marinette. Marinette is gutsy enough to try and pull one out on her. The class likes her enough to make it plausible that they’ll believe her - she’s president, for goodness’ sake! Lila  _ has _ to make sure that she won't.

Targeting Alya is just the first step. Get the best friend on her side, and Marinette will start to topple.

* * *

Now, to Marinette walking in late.

Originally, Nathanael volunteered for the back, but Mme Bustier said no, saying that he would just use it to draw.

(He ended up choosing the jock chick - Alice?)

Everyone takes advantage of the situation to sit with their friends.

It’s going according to plan.

And then Marinette walks in, and Lila smirks from her perch just outside one of the windows. She’ll be late, too. That way Marinette will  _ have _ to be let known about it from one of her friends - or better, from Mme Bustier herself.

Mme Bustier isn’t there, though.

And then Lila sees her walking towards the classroom. She rolls her eyes. Being late is not a good look for a teacher.

Mme Bustier walks in, and talks briefly.

It’s the  _ perfect  _ time to make her entrance.

* * *

She gives her bullshit excuse. Marinette’s skeptical, of course, but no one doubts her. They have the forged doctor’s note on file, the forged signature from her mother on file, and  _ everything  _ is going according to plan.

She plays herself up as the tragic hero, spinning her story about the tinnitus that doesn't exist, plays the victim.

It’s almost comical how quickly they turn on Marinette.

They must take disabilities seriously here. Accommodations here have been very lenient in terms of letting her  _ have  _ them.

* * *

It’s stunning how utterly  _ kind  _ everyone is here. Even Marinette is kind, though she is more selective with her kindness. Despite the influence of Chloe - since they were young, it appears, the class of Caline Bustier is astonishingly nice.

It’s nauseating.

Lunch is a fiasco - how are they so stupidly oblivious? A napkin won’t hurt anyone, and it’s light enough to not aggravate any sprained wrist.

(In hindsight, that should have been her excuse - but the one she used is more glamorous, and they’re all so starstruck.)

Marinette retreats to the bathroom. Lila sees it for what it is - a tactical retreat.

It’s time to take the battle to her.

* * *

“Marinette,” she calls, seeing Marinette near the sink. “Oh, are you crying?”

Marinette looks up. That is not the look of someone who was crying in the bathroom. The other girl just seems pissed at her.

“No, I’m not!” she growls. Emotional.

“I can sense that you don’t like me, but I don’t understand  _ why.”  _ She forces her voice to tremble, acting like someone who just wants to be friends. “We barely know each other.”

Marinette winces. Score one for Lila, zero for Marinette.

“Is it because of the new seating arrangement?” she pushes. Marinette turns away. “It is! Of course, you’re jealous because I’m sitting next to Adrien, because you would’ve given anything to sit there yourself. You know what? It's really not worth fighting over a boy. You and I could be friends, and who knows, I might even be able to help you with Adrien.”

It’s so totally fake. But the front almost works.

“You and I will only be friends the day you stop lying,  _ Lila!”  _ That’s unexpected.

But she knows now. Marinette won’t just roll over. She’ll have to push her into doing so. She gasps - part real, but she is playing up her shock a bit.

“I can’t prove it, but I know for a fact you don’t have tinnitus, that you don’t know Prince Ali because you’ve never even set foot in Achu, and despite what you got Alya to write on her Ladyblog, Ladybug has  _ never  _ saved your life!” Marinette advances on her.

(Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.)

(Technically, she has. If breaking an akumatization counts as having one’s life saved.)

Well, there’s no point in keeping up that front now.

“I only tell people what they want to hear,” she replies, dropping the timidity from her voice.

“It’s. Called. Lying!”

Marinette advances on her with every word. Time to push back.

“There’s nothing you can do about it anyways.” She advances, Marinette backing up against the wall.  _ Cool and poised, Lila.  _ “People can’t resist when they hear what they like to hear. If you don’t want to be my friend, fine! But soon you won’t have any friends left at all. And trust me, I’ll make sure you never get close to Adrien in class or any-”

Marinette’s back is to the wall, but Marinette leans forwards with her hands still braced on the wall. She blinks, and all of a sudden they're  _ kissing. _

Okay. Okay. She can deal with this. She reciprocates - if this is the game Marinette wants to play? It’s game on.

(The score’s tied now. Marinette got one up on her with the sheer shock of that move.)

She is the first to back away. She needs to finish her threat. “You seem a little less stupid than the rest, so this is your final shot. You’re either with me,” she holds out her left hand, “or against me.” Marinette narrows her eyes. Lila  _ already  _ knows her decision - or she  _ knew.  _ She isn’t so sure anymore after that kiss. “You don't have to let anyone know right now. You have until the end of class to let me know, Marinette. I’ll be waiting.”

She makes her exit, blowing a kiss at Marinette.

Marinette wants to play? Lila knows the game better than anyone. Marinette will go down. It’s only a matter of when.

* * *

There’s a butterfly coming around. She doesn't like the idea of working with Hawk Moth - but this is an opportunity. And if no one else wants to take it, she will.

* * *

Ladybug  _ does  _ save her.

Well, at least she isn’t lying anymore when she says Ladybug saved her.

(Ladybug reminds her too much of Marinette, now - too much of that sickly kindness and spite rolled up into one double-sided being.)

* * *

After class. She makes sure to purposefully bump into Marinette - after all, she has to make good on her promise.

(She never threatens. She promises. Because they always come into being.)

“I see you’ve made your decision, Marinette.” She leans in to whisper. “You may have caught me off guard, but it won't happen again. From now on, you and I are at war. What I said in the bathroom is no longer an empty threat. It’s a promise.” She backs away. “I promise you, Marinette.” She leans in to give Marinette a brief peck on the cheek - make it look like they’ve let bygones be bygones.

“We’ll see about that, Lila.” Marinette smirks, and walks away.

Lila will prevail. Whatever it takes.

**Author's Note:**

> There is no happy ending for Lila in this story. But this is what I think could happen from here.
> 
> Lila doesn't have a significant role in any episodes until Oni-Chan, so everything goes according to canon until OC. During that episode, Ladybug and Chat switch roles - she knows she can distract her (as Marinette) and Chat is better equipped to spar with an akuma. So Marinette "distracts" Lila and there are angsty makeout scenes. She doesn't learn about Lila's involvement in the akumatization until later.
> 
> But what about Adrien, you ask. Both of them are still after Adrien, thinking that what they have between them will keep the other too distracted to pursue Adrien. Lila is not dissuaded. Neither is Marinette (or, not by the casual thing she has with Lila. Her nervousness does catch up to her).
> 
> Their casual relationship will fall apart at Ladybug. Marinette slaps Lila when she tries, and it all falls apart. That's...all I've got for the extension of this plot bunny.


End file.
